HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1987-10-07, Page 11\t;l)Rlel R ATI\G-THE Bl.l TH STANDARD -THY 11.11 HUD D Fil I;I.H:
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1987
No, 40
INQUEST JURY RECOMMENDS SAFETY CONTROLS
Volunteer fire fighting hazards
stressed at coroner's inquest
By Shelley McPhee Haist
GODERICH - The results of a day long in-
quest here could have wide -reaching effects
on volunteer fire forces across the province.
The Ontario Fire Marshal's Office has
been requested to immediately issue a
bulletin to more than 660 fire departments in
the province, stressing the inherent dangers
of using converted milk trucks as fire water
tankers.
Further recommendations regarding
driver training, fire vehicle inspections,
vehicle safety guidelines and provincial fun-
ding were part brought forward from the
five member jury in the Ken Aikenhead
inquest.
The September 30 inquest investigated the
death of the 25 -year old Brucefield fireman
who died on May 13 while travelling to the
scene of a brush fire. He was fatally injured
when the Brucefield Fire Department
tanker truck that he was driving flipped
over. Two others were injured in the crash.
Mr. Aikenhead and tanker truck
passengers, Dennis Hallam and Bob
McKenzie were travelling down Sideroad 30
and 31 of Stanley Township when the fatal
accident occurred. As the truck crested the
top of a hill, the fire could be seen and Mr.
Hallam recalled, "The next thing I knew we
were in the ditch."
Police reports indicate that the truck
;wwerved onto the grassy shoulder of the
road. When the driver attempted to right the
vehicle back onto the gravel, it veered
sharply, crossed the roadway and flipped
over into the south ditch.
Mr. McKenzie remembered, "We came
over the crest. I heard the crash. Then I was
waking up on the ground."
Neither passengers or the driver were
wearing seat belts at the time of the
accident.
A recommendation from the jury in this
regards stressed the mandatory installation
and use of seat belts in all emergency
response equipment.
Driver training programs for volunteer
firemen was also addressed in the recom-
mendations. With the suggestion that such
programs be prepared and implemented for
volunteer fire departments.
It was evidenced that no specific driver
training is necessary for volunteer fire
fighters.
"To my knowledge, Ken ( Aikenhead) had
never driven the truck to a fire before,"
Brucefield Fire Chief Bob Caldwell told the
inquest jury.
Mr. Aikenhead was familiar with the
tanker truck, as he was responsible for the
maintenance and weekly check runs. He
was a Class A licensed driver which allowed
him to drive trucks.
In his report to the jury, Goderich OPP
Constable Tom Jansen suggested that fire
fighters would benefit from driving courses,
similar to those that are given for police
officers.
"With red lights and the siren going, you
tend to drive as you can. If you back off and
maintain control, you'll arrive at the scene
within seconds of a high speed run," he
reported.
While it was noted that no speeding infrac-
tions were reported in the Aikenhead in-
vestigation, Constable Jansen suggested
that special considerations must be taken
when driving on a gravel road.
David Fields of the Ontario Fire Mar-
shal's Office said that video films on driver
training are available for use. He suggested,
"Perhaps we should be promoting them
more."
Mr. Fields said that it was "pie in the sky"
idea to provide special training sessions to
the more than 17,000 volunteer fire fighters
in Ontario. He noted, "Too much training
will bombard them. Instead we take a prac-
tical approach by stressing safety and
care....It's hard to get and keep volunteer
fire fighters, therefore we don't want to
drive them away."
It was suggested at the inquest that had
Mr. Aikenhead had special driver training,
the accident may have been avoided.
Hazardous equipment
Still, the potential for serious problems
would have existed in this particular in-
stance because of the equipment itself.
The tanker, a 1970 truck, was once used as
a milk truck by the Teeswater Creamery. It
was purchased by the Brucefield Fire
Department some five years ago and refit-
ted for its use as a fire emergency vehicle.
The inquest determined that the truck was
unsuitable for this use.
Expert testimony was given by John
Woodruff of Ottawa, an engineer research
scientist with the National Research Council
of Canada.
"It was a high risk vehicle for emergency
fire response duty," Mr. Woodruff told the
jury.
His investigation found that the truck
chassis was undersized forthe tank that was
used. The vehicle had overloaded springs
and the load on the truck had a high centre
of gravity.
Mr. Woodruff reported, "The centre of
mass »eight is the most crucial aspect in roll
stability. The higher the mass the more
unstable the vehicle."
He suggested, "The driver virtually has
no input into the vehicle ( when the roll
begins)."
He noted that many volunteer fire depart -
Turn to page 5 •
Town Hall future sha
Public says no to s..ving Bayfield building
By Shelley McPhee Haist
BAYFIELD - The century old town hall
here may be doomed for the demolition
crew.
That was the sentence given to the
building on October 5 when village council
here approved final recommendations on
the study that was carried out to determine
the future of the old town hall.
Condemned by the Fire Marshal's Act in
the early 1980s, the fate of the old town hall
on Clan Gregor Square has been an issue of
controversy over the past several years. In
an effort to determine the future of the hall,
council recently undertook an in-depth
public survey.
The study indicated that village residents
were not in favor of spending public money
to renovate the structure. Many called for
its demolition.
Councillor Pat Muratori was part of the
study team. In a report to council she
presented three recommendations.
"After reviewing the results of the survey
and preliminary discussions with the ap-
propriate ministries, it is apparent there is
insufficient community support to warrant
the expenditure of public funds for the
preservation of the town hall. It is further
recommended that due to the fact that the
council of the municipality is in possession
of a report condemning the building, any oc-
cupancy whatsoever should be immediately
terminated and the building secured against
entry. To allow this building to stand in its
present condition with no attempts made to
renovate is unwise and possesses a possible
danger to public safety. It is therefore
recommended that schould the council of
the Village of Bayfield not receive an accep-
table private sector proposal for the renova-
tion and use of this building, it will be
40.,4,104$
John Bgerj, 7, and his brother Gordon, 9, of Holmesville took a particular fancy to the
hadnerafted wooden 'toys by Herb Wilkins of RR7 Lucknow. Mr. Wilkins was one of the
many hobbyists to take part in the second annual Holmesville Craft Show held over the
weekend. (Shelley McPhee Haist photo)
demolished."
Public opinion
Public suggestions noted that the building
should be torn down and the area used as a
site for a new fire hall. Others suggested
that the property be sold as a commercial
property.
Some felt that another community hall
was not needed in Bayfield. Others opposed
the proposal that the old town hall be turned
into a satellite museum.
Most were opposed to spending tax dollars
to restore the structure.
One Bayfielder commented, "I can think
of many nostal • is reasons to save the
building, ho - 'er, 't one to preserve
either h'.torically, a ecturally or
econom ally."
Ano er suggested, "Do we ne • it? Why
pr • •rve just because it is o..' No
cessarily beautiful or valuable."
On the other point of view, supporters of
the town hall restoration suggested, "The
town hall has the best acoustics of any hall
in Bayfield and this advantage should be us-
ed for concerts and entertainment."
Another supporter wrote, "Keep it as it is
for history's sake. The Historical Society
should use it seasonally as a tourist attrac-
tion. Volunteers should man it and con-
tribute to it. It should have travelling
museum displays, courses by volunteers on
history, etc."
The future
Despite the majority of the public opinion,
there is still a chance that the old town hall
may have a future. Council has given the
town hall six months grace, in which it is
hoped that private individuals will present
feasible proposals that would save the
building.
Bayfield Reeve David Johnston noted,
"As a private citizen 1 certainly have an in-
terest to save the town hall. I'm going to try
and work to find a group who is interested in
salvaging the building."
Council has set a closing date of April 30,
1988 to hear such proposals. If none are for-
thcoming, the building will be demolished.
Councillor Muratori noted, "We need to
give the private sector time to pool together
and group together. We have to give them a
chance."
In the meantime the town hall will be dos-
ed, new locks will secure the building from
entry and its use will be prohibited. This
means that the Pottery Club, the Boy Scouts
and the bottle depot must vacate the
premises.
Council determined that they have no
other choice but to close the building.
"We're leaving ourselves open to serious
consequences if anything happens to the
people who use the town hall," Councillor
Muratori urged.
Reeve Johnston added, "If the building
caught fire and a child or an elderly person
was trapped, it would almost be like
criminal negligence."
Council realizes that it may be difficult to
relocate the groups who are presently using
the town hall, however council agreed that
they would be willing to help find new
a ccornrnodations.
September was a glorious month, with lots of sunshine and warm days. The weather was
fine enough to bring on a new crop of raspberries. Bob Taylor of Rattenbury Street, ('lin-
ton was out in his berry patch last week. He picked more than 11 quarts of berries from
the bushes. Pictured here is one branch that is loaded with berries and blooms. IShelic�
McPhee Haist photo)
$175,000 IN GOV RMENT F1'NDS ALLOCATED
Major works project
okayed for Bayfield
BAYFIELD - The federal government will
spend $175,000 on harbor improvements at
Bayfield under its new Harbor Revitaliza-
tion Program.
The project was announced here on Oc-
tober 3 by Murray Cardiff, Member of
Parliament for Huron -Bruce, on behalf of
the Honourable Tom Siddon, Minister of
Fisheries and Oceans.
The project calls for the pouring of a con-
crete deck on the inner part of the south
breakwater, a new lighting system, and im-
provements to the commercial fishing
wharf on the north side of the harbor. This
will allow Bayfield to benefit from growing
tourist traffic on Lake Huron.
The project is part of the federal govern-
ment's new three-year Harbor Revitaliza-
tion Program which makes funds available
above and beyond regular Small Craft. Har-
bors Program levels to catch up on the
backlog of accumulated damage and
deterioration and • to meet increased
demands for service.
The facilities are leased by the federal
government to the Village of Bayfield which
Apartment
construction
ut on hold
By David Emslie
TON - Council here learned during
their meeting on October 5 that construction
of a new apartment building on Albert
Street is being delayed.
Mason Ba'ley, the owner of the new
building, brought some concerns before
council regarding parking, drainage and
electricity.
According to Mr. Bailey, the most press-
ing problem is having hydro supplied to the
building.
"I'm in a real bind if we can't get heat in
there right away," he said, explaining that
drywall installation is being delayed
because without heat in the building, the.
drywall isn't drying.
While asking for any help council might be
able to provide in this matter, Mr. Bailey
stated he couldn't wait too long for hydro,
and would be handing the matter over to his
lawyer in the near future.
Although Mayor John Balfour explained
that council's hands are really tied in the
matter as they can't force the Public
Utilities Commission to provide the power,
he noted that the PUC were willing to put it
in, but they needed an easement before the
installation.
Originally, Mr. Bailey was under the im-
pression that no easement was necessary
when wires were being strung, as long as the
poles didn't infringe on anyone else's
property.
"Why didn't they know in July I couldn't
come overhead without an easement," he
asked.
Mayor Balfour agreed that something has
to be done about the problem. He noted,
"We need an answer, this problem has been
going on and on for months. Mr. Bailey is in
a tough situation, the Town of Clinton is in a
tough situation. We need a decision. We
need a solution."
In order to begin clearing up the problem,
without Mr. Bailey having to contact his
solicitor right away, council agreed to hold a
full council meeting the following night, Oc-
tober 6.
Neighboring land holders, PUC represen-
tatives and others were invited to the
meeting to try and find a solution.
Aside from the hydro issue, another sub -
Turn to page 3 •
i
is responsible for their day-to-day-
management.
ay-to-daymanagement.
"Tourism is important to the people Of
this area and it is a.growth industry," said
Mr. Cardiff.. "This project underlines the
federal government's determination to help
this community make the most of the
opportunities."
CLINTON PUBLIC
HOSPITAL
BUILDING FUND